a/n: sorry

that is all

a-far-off-memory

They moved up the stairs at a rapid pace, ending up at a secret door in a wall on the first floor that they hadn't noticed before. Their minds were buzzing with thoughts of those they'd lost, along with thoughts of Sora—who was most likely in danger.

Riku didn't know if he could handle losing Sora.

Losing three of his best friends was hard enough. But losing the love of his life? He wasn't sure he'd be able to survive it.

They ran down the twisting hallways, nearing the living room, at which point they nearly ran into their three friends. Zexion was on Demyx's back and Axel was slightly ahead of them, closest to the stairs that led to the second floor.

"Did you see Sora?" Riku questioned, slightly out of breath.

Axel was the one to answer. "We were just about to follow him," he told them. "He ran up the stairs...there was a bunch of little black things chasing him."

Swearing under his breath, the silveret bolted up the stairs, taking them two at a time. He soon heard footsteps following him, but he didn't bother turning around. He was focused on finding Sora—nothing else really mattered in his mind.

He was running so fast that when a small black creature appeared in front of him, he almost fell from trying to stop. The thing had bright yellow eyes and long antennae, and its little fingers were curled into claws.

Just as the thing jumped at him, he kicked it and sent it flying into a wall. It immediately disappeared into nothing upon impact, allowing him to continue searching.

He ran into a few more creatures before finally spotting his lover through an open doorway. A strangled cry of Sora's name left his lips as he ran towards him, only to be stopped by what seemed like an invisible wall once he reached the doorway. The others arrived behind him, all of them panting, only to exclaim Sora's name as well.

The brunet spared a glance over at them, a tired, scared and resigned look in his deep blue eyes. Those eyes rested on Riku the longest, and the silveret was terrified by the look in them.

Sora had given up.

Xemnas was stalking toward him, two long and thin blades in his hands. He was pushing Sora towards the wall, where he'd have no chance to escape. Weak sunlight was beginning to flood in through the sole window, illuminating Sora's hair slightly when he stepped into it.

"I told you that you couldn't run forever..." Xemnas practically cooed, looking at the blades in his hands almost lovingly.

"Sora! Sora! Sora!" Everyone was beginning to panic, seeing the scene in front of him. They took turns pushing against the invisible barrier, but it was all in vain.

Riku watched with horror as Sora met his eyes one last time, blue eyes brimming with tears, before he threw himself through the already broken window.

There was a split second of silence before Riku screamed. "No!" he practically wailed, eyes filling with tears and blurring his vision as he started throwing himself against the barrier. Sora couldn't be gone, there was no way...

Seconds later, Ansem and Xehanort appeared on either side of Xemnas. All three of them glanced out the window with hints of disappointment.

"Pity he jumped...I was looking forward to slicing him into pieces," Xemnas lamented, sighing.

"No matter, there are still six more," Ansem pointed out, turning to face the frantic teens with a cruel stare.

"Look, brothers, the sun has risen...looks like their time is up," Xehanort announced with a sadistic smirk.

The barrier dissipated, causing Riku to fall forward. He found himself lacking the will to stand, his heart shredded from watching the one he loved throw himself out a window. And then the black creatures appeared from the floor, greedy yellow eyes fixed on the teens as they stalked closer.

"Riku! Come on!" Axel exclaimed, leaning down to help him up. Before he could grab him, however, one of the creatures sprang at him and forced him back.

Riku was unable to find the will to stand, even as the creatures closed in on him. He was paralyzed by his loss, and it made him an easy target.

"Riku! You can't do this!" Naminé screamed, reaching down and grabbing him by the wrist. She struggled to pull him up, rapid breaths of fear escaping her. Roxas soon helped her, and the two of them got him into a sitting position.

"Sora wouldn't want you to stop! Can't you see that?" he yelled as he kicked one of the beasts to the side. "You need to get up and do this for him!"

As Riku lifted his head to meet Roxas' eyes, one of the black creatures saw an opportunity to spring. A scream of pain left the silver-haired teen as sharp claws slashed diagonally across his face, sending pain blossoming through his entire being. His left eye was stinging like crazy, and he found himself unable to open it.

"Riku!" Naminé gasped as she kicked the offending creature aside, sending it into several others.

She and Roxas were forced to hoist him up. All he could think about was the pain, and of Sora, which made a deadly combination.

"Let's go!" Axel said hurriedly, clutching his ribs and taking off down the hall. Roxas and Naminé practically dragged Riku, while Demyx carried Zexion behind them.

"Oh god, Riku," Naminé practically sobbed, looking at him out of the corner of her eye. She could almost feel his pain just by looking at the three deep gashes in his face.

"Ah!" All heads whipped back in time to watch as Demyx went down, his ankle having been attacked. His green eyes were wide and full of panic as he told them all to run, scrambling to stand and grab Zexion.

Seeing no other choice, they all kept going, hoping that their two friends would be following behind.

Demyx felt as sharp little claws dug into his ankle. He was unable to stop to yell that escaped him as he tumbled down, landing hard on his wrist. He felt as the fragile bone snapped, sending pain shooting all the way up his arm.

He saw the others all stop and look back at him. "Just keep going!" he told them, struggling to sit up and help Zexion as well. His wrist was on fire, and it really wasn't helping things.

He watched as they hesitated for a moment before turning away and continuing. He felt relief that they'd at least be getting out.

"Dem? Are you okay?" Zexion asked quietly.

Sighing, Demyx turned toward him. "My wrist is broken, I don't think I can hold you anymore," he whispered, reaching out with his good hand to cup his boyfriend's cheek.

Zexion's eyes closed as the reality of the situation hit him. "Then just leave me, Demyx. Go, please."

Eyes full of tears, smiling sadly, Demyx shook his head. "Nah, I couldn't live without you, Zexy. So...we'll stay together."

Indigo eyes opened at that, and there were tears shining in them. "Demyx, I...I'm scared," he whispered, leaning into the blond's touch.

The taller teen swallowed hard. "Me too. But it's okay, because we have each other, right?"

Lower lip quivering, Zexion leaned forward to press their lips together. "Always," he whispered into the kiss, a tear falling down his cheek.

"How touching," a chilling voice commented dryly.

"Doesn't it just warm the cockles of your heart?" a second added sarcastically.

"It makes me sick," a last voice growled.

Slowly, the teens pulled apart, resignation in their eyes as they found themselves surrounded by the three brothers. Demyx let his good hand fall from Zexion's cheek, finding the slate-haired teen's hand and taking it.

"You can do the honors, Xemnas...after all, you've yet to kill tonight," Ansem told his lighter-skinned brother with a cruel smirk.

Amber eyes lit up sadistically as the two long blades from moments earlier appeared back in Xemnas' hands. Up close, it was easy to see a reddish glow emanating off of them.

Taking a deep breath, Demyx turned his attention back to Zexion. "I love you, Zexion...always," he murmured, leaning their foreheads together. He felt strangely calm, even though he knew their deaths were only moments away. Perhaps it was because he knew that maybe the others would have this chance to escape.

"I love you too, Demyx...forever," Zexion replied softly. And then they kissed again, needing to one last time.

Zexion felt Demyx tense up as one of the blades passed through his chest seconds before he felt it pierce his own. For a moment, all they felt was pain, and then everything went black.

But their kiss was never broken.

a/n: damn i'm actually such an asshole what the fuck why did i do that

so it was sora in the prologue! i can't remember who guessed that it was him but gold stars to whoever got it right hahahahaha

only one more chapter, plus an epilogue to go! thank you all for sticking with me through this, and i hope you all enjoy the rest of the story!

afom out~